Companions
by Clairei
Summary: [AU. Light Kiyomaro x Tio.] Misunderstood boy finds distrustful demon girl. Can a bond form between the two? Review please?


Disclaimer: Gash Bell belongs to Makoto Raiku/Shogakukan.

Notes: I decided to write this little AU fic for fun. I'm not sure why, but I like the idea of Kiyomaro/Tio. XD And I wanted to be the first to write the pairing. Don't like this couple? Don't write immature little flames about how this isn't your otp or whatever.

Though, this fandom does seem to be quite open minded about ships and such. Enjoy, everyone!

His dreams were rather bland. Most people have oddities such as purple skies or flying turtles appear in theirs. However, Takamine Kiyomaro rarely had interesting things appear in his. Though, that never bothered him much. To him, it was just another trait that set him apart from the general population.

On that particular morning, his internal clock awoke him. Unlike most teenagers, he didn't fuss over having to wake up early. His sights were set upon the rays of sunlight, which seeped into the room through the narrow spaces in the drawn shutters. The bedroom he inhabited was also different from that of young people. The floor was not cluttered with random items. Instead of a number of comic books scattered about in different areas, he had science and history books lined up on his shelf. Everything was organized and nothing was covered in dust nor in dirt.

He wasn't particularly looking forward to another day of high school. It wasn't that he didn't like to learn. Deep down, he was a true scholar, always interested in new subjects and in strategizing. Of course, he had no desire to go to _that _place. It was crawling with the one thing he despised in the world: idiots.

"Kiyo! Get up!" His mother's voice was the first thing he usually heard every day. Usually, her tone was not very pleasant. The door to his room suddenly opened and she stood there with her arms folded across her chest. "You are not going to skip another day of school."

"Yeah, yeah..." Kiyo muttered as he lifted the covers off himself.

"Good. It's about time you did **something **productive with your life." She spat as he walked past her. Mrs. Takamine said something else but he blissfully ignored it.

After getting himself ready, he went down the stairs to eat something. He was in no particular hurry to get to _that _place, thus, he took his time. His mother sat across from him, a frown adorned her face.

"Don't eat so slowly! You're going to be late!"

"What? You want me to shove the food down my throat just so I won't be late?"

"Why don't you make **some** effort to actually want to go to school for a change?"

After shooting an icy glare at her, he picked up his bag and made his way out the door. The woman was still seated with her hand placed against the side of her head, frustration and worry obviously plaguing her. "That boy..."

One thing that Kiyomaro liked to do very often was thinking. Sometimes he thought about the state of humanity and how many things needed improvements. Sometime he contemplated over certain mathematical equations or about situations in books he read.

At the moment, he thought about what he could do that day. Going to school was out of the question. He faked his sudden interest in going just to give his mother a little peace of mind, if only until the afternoon when his school would phone in about his absence.

"_I could always go to the botanical gardens and read_." Kiyo decided.

Before he could turn toward the location of his 'sanctuary', he found his path being blocked.

"Takamine-kun!" The girl in front of him exclaimed.

"…Mizuno." He said dryly.

"Where are you going! School is **that** way!" As she said so she pointed in the direction of the high school.

He groaned. Tsuzume was not the brightest crayon in the box. In fact, her lack of understanding was a trait that annoyed Kiyo on many occasions. "I'm not going."

"What? You've already missed so many days!"

"So? What do you care about whether or not I go!"

"Well, I…I miss you." Her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink after she stated that.

The sentiment seemed to catch him off guard. He just was not used to having a young girl express concern for him. "_M-miss me_?"

Tsuzume then continued, "When you were in school, math was easier to understand. And I miss that quite a lot."

"…SHUT UP. GO FIND SOME OTHER PERSON TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR STUPID PROBLEMS." Without another glance at her, he turned and began to walk away.

Behind him, Tsuzume stood with a confused look on her face.

-

One of the reasons he had avoided school so much was not because he had a superiority complex or he was a lazy young man. No, neither of those was true. However, many people did think of him as having either one of those. His teachers and peers, alike, expressed a strong disliking of him. Every time he answered a question correct or accomplished a difficult feat, he got a snide remark. Kiyomaro was a prodigy and it was something that was envied by many.

Of course, being around such rude people bothered him. He did not like to admit to anyone, especially to himself, that he got hurt every time a bad comment got flung at him.

After walking a few blocks down, he got inside the green house. Several colorful plants of every variety surrounded him. Each time, he noted all the new arrivals and sometimes asked the people that worked there about what type it was. Though, he was not in any mood to chat with anyone.

He walked over to the tall tree he always sat under. However, today he saw someone was already sitting in his spot. "_Huh? Who is that_?"

For a moment, he observed the stranger. It was pink haired girl. Her clothing was strange; a kind that most people around those parts did not wear. Her red eyes were narrowed and from the expression on her pale face, she seemed to be troubled. Another odd thing about her was that she carried an orange book with strange shapes in her arms. From the look of her, she seemed to be ten or nine.

Kiyomaro normally didn't care but something about her drew him. Perhaps, it was the fact that she was upset. Maybe it was that she was an upset _child_. Whatever reason it was did not matter to him.

Slowly, he approached her. As soon as he got close to her, she let out a gasp.

"Um, you okay, Kid?" He said.

"L-leave…m-me alone." She muttered.

"_I'm just trying to help you. Geez." _Kiyo let out a huff and decided to try again. "Are you lost? Do you want me to…um…find your parents or something?" He shrugged, not sure if he was doing this right.

"A-ahh!"

Her eyes widened, staring at something behind him. The teenager turned around to find a young man and a horrific looking child standing just a few feet away.

To be continued…


End file.
